File holder



O 31, 1967 c. B. KEPHART, JR 3,349,460

FILE HOLDER Filed Sept. 1, 1965 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3349,46 Patented Oct. 33, 1967 3,349,460 FILE HOLDER Charles B. Kephart, J12, 1620 18th St, West Des Moiues, Iowa 50386 Filed Sept. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 484,358 10 Claims. (ill. 2978) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A device including an elongated file secured to a frame having a pair of longitudinally spaced apart V-shaped shoulders with a resiliently flexible gauge element pivotally mounted therebetween to the frame for being positioned in alignment with said frame on top of said shoulders and extending across said frame engaging at each of its ends the adjacent side edges of said shoulders.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 428,965, filed Jan. 29, 1965, now Patent No. 3,293,615.

File holder and guide apparatus are available for mounting on chain saw bars for precision sharpening of the chain saw teeth. Particularly it is desired to sharpen the top plate portions of the right and left-hand cutter teeth at 35 degrees relative to the cutter bar. If this angle is less than 35 degrees, the cutter is blunt and the cutting will be slow and, conversely, if the angle is greater than 35 degrees, the cutter is feathered and will dull unnecessarily fast. It is relatively easy to maintain this angle when using clamp and guide apparatus such as shown in applicants co-pending application, Ser. No. 428,965, but there are times when it is necessary to sharpen the teeth of a chain saw or the like without the assistance of this more sophisticated equipment. It is not infrequent when there is only a file holder device available and then the user under ordinary circumstances has to guess at the angle at which he is sharpening the cutters.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a file holder device which has means for readily enabling the user to establish visually the desired angle for sharpening the teeth of a chain saw or the like without the assistance of other equipment.

A related object of this invention is to provide a file holder device having a sight gauge which may be readily adjusted to indicate the appropriate angle such as 35 degrees for sharpening both right and left-hand cutter teeth.

A still further related object of this invention is to provide a file holder device having a sight gauge which is rotatably mounted to the frame and may be moved to positions for sharpening the right-hand teeth, the lefthand teeth and to a neutral out-of-use position.

A still further related object of this invention is to provide a file holder device having a sight gauge which is selectively adjustable and is provided with positive stops for holding it in the desired position.

Another related object of this invention is to provide a file holder device including a frame and a file which is adapted to be quickly secured to and removed from its frame.

Another related object of this invention is to provide a file holder device which has means for firmly holding the file element at each of its ends to the file frame.

A further object of this invention is to provide a file holder device which is simple in design, economical to manufacture and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the file holder device of this invention in use on a chain saw;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the file holder device in use on a chain saw;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of only the file holder device;

FIG. 4 is a top plan enlarged view of the sight gauge of the file holder device;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the sight gauge taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation cross-sectional view taken along line 66 in FIG. 3.

The file holder device of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 3 by the reference numeral 10 and is shown to include a frame 12 and a file element 14. A sight gauge 16 is mounted on the frame 12. At opposite ends of the frame 12 fasteners 18 secure the frame to the file element 14.

The file holder 10 is commonly used on a chain saw which is shown in FIG. 1 to include a bar 20 with a groove 22 in which is mounted the chain saw teeth. The teeth of the chain saw include right and left-hand cutters 24 and 26 coupled to drive links 28 by tie straps 30. The right and left-hand cutters 24 and 26 have top plates 32 which are sharpened along their forward edges by the file element 14. The file element 14 is received in a gullet 34 adjacent the top plates 32 and forwardly thereof.

The sight gauge 16 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. A pair of oppositely facing V-shaped shoulders 36 and 38 are formed on the top side of the frame 12. Each of the shoulders taper towards the other as better seen in FIG. 5. The shoulders 36 and 38 are spaced apart and therebetween a gauge element 40 made of resilient material is pivotally secured to the frame 12 by a rivet or the like 42. The gauge element 48 may be pivoted to one of three positions as illustrated best in FIG. 4. In the solid line position, the gauge element is biased upwardly at its ends to frictionally engage the tapered shoulders 36 and 38 to hold it in parallel alignment with the frame 12. In a second position indicated by the reference number 40' the element has been pivoted to engagement with opposite side edges of the shoulders 36 and 38 and extend at an angle of 35 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the frame 12. In this position, the file holder device is suited for sharpening right-hand cutter teeth 24 as seen in FIG. 1. Similarly, the gauge element 40 may be moved to a third position indicated by the reference numeral 40 wherein the gauge element engages the other side edges of the shoulders 36 and 38 and thereby makes the file holder suitable for alignment in sharpening the left-hand cutters 26.

The frame 12 of the file device 10 is circular in crosssection (FIG. 6) and terminates at each of its ends in end portions 72 which are flattened and have openings 74 formed therethrough. A J-shaped threaded fastener 76 is provided which has a hook-shaped portion 78 extending at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the fastener 76. At the opposite end of the fastener '76, a female internally threaded element 80 is secured to a threaded portion 82 on the opposite end of the fastener 76 from the hook-shaped portions 78.

The file element 14 is elongated and circular in crosssection and has a handle 86. The file element is clamped between the hook portions 78 and the elongated end portions 72 by the adjustable female threaded element 80. It is seen in FIG. 6 particularly that the file element 14 is held against the body of the J-shaped fastener 76 by the hook portions 78 and that the end portions 72 as well as the hook portions 78 extend beyond the longitudinal center of the file element 84 thereby providing sufficient clamping surfaces to hold the file element 14 locked in its desired position. It is noted also that the inner end of the female element 80 has a relatively large diameter to provide a large bearing surface for engagement with the outer face of the end portion 72.

In use, it is seen that the sight gauge 16 is utilized by pivoting the gauge element 40 to the appropriate dash line position indicated by the numerals 40 and 40" (FIG. 4). Then, the filling of the right and left-hand cutters 24 and 26 may be accomplished at the desired 35-degree angle by simply maintaining the file in a position whereby the gauge element 40 is parallel to the plane of the chain saw bar 26. The gauge element 40 is of such a length that it forms a substantial portion of an imaginary line which will be maintained in parallel relationship with the bar 20. As the sight gauge 16 passes back and forth across the bar the gauge element 40 will be in the plane of the bar 20 for at least a moment as the file holder is moved in each direction. During this time any corrections that are required to maintain the 35 degree angle may be made. When the sight gauge 16 is not being used, it may be desirable to rotate it out of the Way by moving it into the solid line position of FIG. 4 wherein it is in alignment with the frame 12 and the ends of the gauge 40 are spring-biased upwardly onto the top surfaces of the tapered shoulders 36 and 38.

It is also readily apparent that when a new file element 14 is needed that the file element may be readily removed by simply unscrewing the female element 80 and slipping the file element out of engagement with the hook portions 78 on the fasteners 18 at each end of the frame 12. Also, the file element 14 may be readily rotated by loosening the female elements 80.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my file holder without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a file device, comprising, an elongated frame, an elongated file element having its ends secured to said frame, a slight gauge mounted on said frame intermediate the ends of said frame, said gauge including an elongated element adapted to extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said frame to thereby establish the line of sight, stop means on said frame and said gauge element being pivotally adjustable between said stop means to the desired angular positions relative to the longitudinal axis of said frame, said stop means being further defined as including a pair of spaced V-shaped shoulders facing in opposite directions, and said gauge element being pivotally connected to said frame between said pair of shoulders, said shoulders each taper downwardly towards the other shoulder whereby the ends of said gauge element may frictionally engage the top surfaces of said shoulders when said gauge element extends in parallel relationship to the longitudinal axis of said frame.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said gauge element is formed of resilient material whereby said end portions may be sprung over the top surfaces of said shoulders to said position in parallel relationship to the longitudinal axis of said frame.

3. In a file device, comprising, an elongated frame, an elongated file element having its ends secured to said frame, a sight gauge mounted on said frame intermediate the ends of said frame, said gauge including an elongated element adapted to extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said frame to thereby establish the line of sight, stop means on said frame and said gauge element being pivotally adjustable between said stop means to the desired angular positions relative to the longitudinal axis of said frame, said stop means being further defined as including a pair of spaced V-shaped shoulders facing in opposite directions, and said gauge element being pivotally connected to said frame between said pair of shoulders, said V-shaped shoulders have an angle between the opposite sides of each shoulder for said gauge element to pivot to a first position extending at 35 degrees to the longitudinal axis of said frame with one end of said gauge element engaging one side of one shoulder on one side of said frame and the other end of said guide element engaging one side of the other shoulder on the opposite side of said frame and to a second position extending at 35 degrees to the longitudinal axis of said frame with said one end of said gauge element engaging the other of said one shoulder and the other end of said gauge element engaging the other side of said other shoulder.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said gauge element is formed of resilient material whereby said ends may be sprung over the top of said shoulders when said gauge element is pivoted to a position extending in parallel relationship to the longitudinal axis of said frame.

5. In a file device, comprising, an elongated frame having end portions extending at substantially right angles thereto, an elongated file element having its ends connected to said end portions, a sight gauge mounted on said frame between said end portions, said gauge including an elongated element adapted to extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said frame to thereby establish a line of sight, said end portions of said frame have openings formed therein, a threaded element extending through each of said openings, said threaded element having a hook means extending at an angle thereto on one end for releasable engagement with said file and a detachable threaded female element mounted on the opposite end thereof, said file being clamped between said end portions and said hook portions, and said female elements being adapted to be selectively adjusted to vary the clamping pressure on said file.

6. In a file device, comprising, an elongated frame having end portions extending at substantially right angles thereto, an elongated file element having its ends connected to said end portions, a sight gauge mounted on said frame between said end portions, said gauge including an elongated element adapted to extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said frame to thereby establish a line of sight, said file is circular in cross-section, said frame end portions having openings formed therein, a threaded element extending through each of said openings, said threaded element having a hook means extending at an angle thereto on one end for releasable engagement with said file and a detachable threaded female element mounted on the opposite end thereof, said file being clamped between said end portions and said hook portions, said end portions and said hook means having sufficient size that they each extend at least to the longitudinal axis of said file when said file is positioned against said threaded element, and said female elements being adapted to be selectively adjusted to vary the clamping pressure on said file.

7. In a file device, comprising, an elongated frame, an elongated file element having its ends secured to said frame, a sight gauge mounted on said frame intermediate the ends of said frame, said gauge including an elongated element adapted to extend at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said frame to thereby establish the line of sight, stop means on said frame and said gauge element being pivotally adjustable between said stop means to the desired angular positions relative to the longitudinal axis of said frame, said stop means bein defined as including a pair of longitudinally spaced apart V-shaped shoulders facing in opposite directions, and said gauge element being pivotally connected to said frame between said pair of shoulders and being adapted to pivot between a first position extending over said shoulders and longitudinally of said frame to a position extending across said frame wherein said gauge element engages adjacent side edges of said adjacent V-shaped shoulders.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein said elongated frame includes end portions extending at substantially right angles thereto, said end portions having an opening formed therethrough, a threaded element extending through each of said openings, said threaded element having a hook portion extending at an angle thereto on one end thereof, a threaded female element mounted on the opposite end of said threaded element, an elongated file element having its ends disposed between said hook portions and said end elements, and being positioned against said threaded element, said female elements being adapted to be selectively adjusted to clamp said file between said hook portions and said end portions.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said file is circular in cross-section at least in the area Where it is being clamped and said end portions and hook portions have suflicient size that they each extend at least to the longitudinal axis of said file.

10. The structure of claim '8 wherein said hook portion extends at an acute angle to said threaded element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 73,238 1/1868 Disston 7636 X 977,003 11/1910 Grady 2980 2,194,464 3/1940 Thomas 76-36 3,283,615 11/1966 Kephart 76-36 HARRISON L. HINSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FILE DEVICE, COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED FRAME, AN ELONGATED FILE ELEMENT HAVING ITS ENDS SECURED TO SAID FRAME, A SLIGHT GAUGE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID FRAME, SAID GAUGE INLCUDING AN ELONGATED ELEMENT ADAPTED TO EXTEND AT AN ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FRAME TO THEREBY ESTABLISH THE LINE OF SIGHT, STOP MEANS ON SAID FRAME AND SAID GUAGE ELEMENT BEING PIVOTALLY ADJUSTABLE BETWEEN SAID STOP MEANS TO THE DESIRED ANGULAR POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FRAME, SAID STOP MEANS BEING FURTHER DEFINED AS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED V-SHAPED SHOULDERS FACING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AND SAID GAUGE ELEMENT BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF SHOULDERS, SAID SHOULDERS EACH TAPER DOWNDWARDLY TOWARDS THE OTHER SHOULDER WHEREBY THE ENDS OF SAID GAUGE ELE MENT MAY FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE TOP SURFACES OF SAID SHOULDERS WHEN SAID GAUGE ELEMENT EXTENDS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FRAME. 